Daphne Park Memorial book 3_3.indd - Somerville College

Daphne joined SIS in 1948. It was early days in the Cold War and the Service was makinga difficult transition to new challenges and worldwide responsibilities. Remarkably inthose days young officers entering the Service had no training, except, Daphne told me,three days on how to write a report. Yet it was the perceptions and actions of those youngofficers that were largely to shape the future of the Service. They were trail blazers, andDaphne was foremost amongst them.Women were entering the foreign office for the first time. Officers of our service hadrarely had diplomatic rank. Daphne therefore had to prove herself doubly competent,as a woman and a spy. She always claimed that she rarely felt disadvantaged as a woman,and she was proud of being a spy. Certainly she convinced the Ambassador in Moscowthat she was a great asset and not an embarrassment. Thereafter our presence inEmbassies, even in the Soviet Bloc, was readily accepted, and we who followed her had amuch easier time.Her time in Africa in the 60s was of greater importance. As a Service we had littleexperience of Africa. Daphne taught us how to operate there. The little girl who had runbarefoot with her native friends in the hills of Tanganyika was completely at home. Sheunderstood the importance of personal relationships for Africans, empathised with theirwarmth, sociability, and laughter, and knew that people, not paper or policies, were thekey to understanding.In the Congo, in Leopoldville, she set an example of how in times of civil war and turmoilour service could play an important and distinctive role. She survived not least becauseshe was fearless, which the Congolese respected, but also because she could make themlaugh. One of her better stories was of being ordered out of her 2CV by an armed gang.When she refused they tried to pull her out through the roof. She got stuck, and broke into helpless giggles. So did they, and let her proceed.Yet it was in Lusaka that her most significant work was to be done. On arrival in 1964she was told by the High Commissioner she might as well go home for there was nojob for her, and anyway Africa was no place for a woman. Untroubled, she rapidlyestablished many important contacts, especially in the Zambian security apparatus, onwhich the President particularly relied, for she well understood that in Africa influencewas more important than intelligence, and that our service had special opportunities23